Whose kid are you anyway?

Yesterday the boys and I got to spend the afternoon hanging out with our favorite person - Uncle Willie.  We fed and watered him, helped him with a few projects (ie floated him some money) and took him to football practice.

To fulfill his part of the deal, he had to go to the "Ghetto Mall" with me to look for a little kid tie at the tie store.

side note:  does every community have a ghetto mall?  You know - the place that in your childhood may have been hip and cool (my ghetto mall had the first Gap store in the state when I was 12 - and when the Gap was super cool) but now as an adult, you feel like you might catch a disease while walking around.

Anyway - as we were walking into the mall Uncle Willie was carrying the Chick.  While carrying the Chick he said to me, "You know, everyone here is going to look at us and think that I'm  your kid and that the boys are your kids too."

I said, "I know Willie.  People have been thinking your my kid since you were born.  Is that okay?"

He said, "Yes, it's okay.  As long as they don't think I'm your husband."

No one is going to think that - I'm pretty sure he's safe on that one.

Anyway.....

We walk into the toy store and one boy goes with me to look at the rainbow wall of ties and the other boy is with Willie when....

wait for it.....

the lady at the tie store says to Willie, "Wow.  There is quite an age gap between you two boys."

Willie looks at me with an "I told you so" glimmer in his eye and I say to the clerk, "They aren't brothers.  The big one is the Uncle and the little one is the nephew."

She didn't get it.  I then had to explain that he was my brother, born when I was 17 years old and that people confuse him for my son all the time.

But he's my brother.  I'd take him for my son any day though.  Because if my boys turn out have as good as their Uncle, I'll know I've done something right.

When there isn't anything else to post about....

just put cute pictures of your kids on your blog.

Right?

We were invited to go boating on Monday night.  The sky was a bit ominous, the Chick a bit sick (yeah, more ear infections) and the water a bit choppy.

That however didn't stop us from having a great time and didn't stop me from trying to keep my one year old from jumping ship into the Reservoir - because he was that excited to see a giant swimming pool.

This one's for you, Pioneers

Yesterday I tweeted that Pioneer day is great. Any excuse to eat BBQ hamburgers and overload on chips, dips, cupcakes and homemade root beer is okay in my book.

I love homemade root beer. It's impossible for me to drink the beverage in any other form but homemade but man, brewed at home it's the best.

We decided to make the most of our day by packing it full of events.

Breakfast with Grandparents
A visit to the farm with Grandparents
bravely riding a horse strapped to a contraption to make it walk in a circle
DUCKS!
Diet cokes (2 visits to 2 different gas stations were in order. One to start the day and one to end the day)
Grocery store for the first time in 2 weeks
Cupcake frosting and rice krispie treat making
One year old gagging and puking several times. Too many boogers sliding down his throat. We had to say goodbye to a beloved twisty blanket and t-shirt because of the mess but mom managed to stay clean. Awesome!
Family parties
Playing in the water
Pushing the bubble lawn mower
Eating good food
Hanging out with family
Playing with cousins
Playing with baby molly
Watching baby molly poop her pants and get mad
Trying to hold baby molly - having her scream at me - calming her down and being friends again
Rides home with sleepy babies who don't want to go to bed. Not ever. They aren't tired!
Bath time and screaming time
Bathroom accident for the three year old time (He was too distracted watching fireworks out the window)
Putting sleepy boys to bed and praying that they'll both sleep all night (They did! Yes!)
Mom and dad arguing the night away because, well,

It was a holiday. What else were we supposed to do!

My boy and me

You wouldn't know it from the pictures, but this beautiful, handsome, wonderful, smart and funny little boy and I don't get along too well lately.  We may be too much a like - both first borns and stubborn and strong-willed, for our own good.

We battle it out daily.

I'm exhausted.  It's hard work learning from a three year old and trying to teach him to be a good boy all the time (he hasn't stomped off and slammed a door for two weeks or spit at me either so that's some progress).

Even though we've had some rough patches, the joy we find in each other hopefully outweighs the fact that my patience is limited and he is, generally, bored with me. A little over a week ago we got a deal on a new computer that we couldn't pass up. We've been looking for a "kick around" machine that isn't a work computer and isn't in the basement. We found one and *gulp* bought a MAC. No one in the house really knows how to use it but we're learning.

And, photo booth may just be the thing that saves my boy and me from using our super powers against each other.

Swimming

My grandma put a swimming pool in her backyard when I was two or three.  I grew up with my own private swimming pool.  I love that pool.  I loved swimming with my cousins as a kid.

Some of the best memories of my life have revolved around my grandma's swimming pool.  There were countless days when I would show up with two diet cokes, chat with my grandma and then spend my entire afternoon lounging about in her backyard -with a giant swimming pool all to myself.

As a little girl, every Wednesday, grandma would do "Open Plunge".  For a couple of hours she'd let all the neighborhood kids come and swim.  My mom and grandma would stand at the gate and check out every kid, ask them if they knew how to swim and if they had a towel, and put every single girls hair up in a pony tail if they didn't come with one already in place.

Open Plunge freaked me out.  While the entire neighborhood was swimming outside, I was sitting inside.  Either on the washing machine looking out the window or at the kitchen table, unwrapping and eating dozens of mini reses peanut butter cups.  Grandma's house was like a candy factory, too.

As soon as the last kid was out of the pool and out of the yard, I walked out the back door, took off my shoes and jumped in the pool.  By this time I'd had my suit on for hours, just waiting for my chance.

Now, my kids get to swim in their own private pool.  Still at my grandmas house a couple times a week all summer long.  They are little and already spoiled with the beauty of having a pool all to themselves.  Today it was just me and the boys (Uncles Willie and James included).  I've had the Chick in the pool a few times - with crowds - and he's been tentative and shy and cried his way out of the pool, onto a lap with a fistful of pretzels.

Today though - the daredevil came out.  It seems that my boy is a lot like his mama.  He wants his privacy and the entire pool with as few swim mates as possible.  Today he blew bubbles, and kicked and swam and jumped in and walked off the stairs straight into the beautiful blue chlorine heaven.

Sometimes family is all you've got

Sunday dinner is almost always at my moms house. It's a tradition I never want to part with. I look forward every week to Sunday afternoons. I love my parents, their house, my mom's cooking, my siblings, sharing a meal as a family and spending time together. It's often the only time we are able to spend time with each other and the few hours together each week really are priceless.

Even when every single person at dinner has a bug up their butt.

It wasn't one of those peaceful Sunday dinners - we talked about temple divorces, suicide, family functions (in more ways than one - thanks Willie for always being willing to share!), Sunday meetings, burning and bleeding baby butts (sorry Chickie), appropriate terminology for those that use wheelchairs and political correctness for others with disabilities and a lot of other stuff, too.

A pretty typical Sunday evening actually, except it seemed that everyone was a bit on edge - even the babies. But, that's all okay. We're family. We are in it together until the end - whenever the end may come.

And - at the end of a Sunday dinner, when it's time to come home we all say our goodbyes and thank yous and I love yous.  Grandma sneaks a coke and more candy into the kiddos and off we go - in hopes that at some point,  all members of the party under three will go to bed.

Pardon my language, but it's damn hot outside!

I love my family.  The family that belongs to me - Ross and my boys, and the families that I get to be a part of.   And, though my kids won't have many cousins (it just isn't in the cards) I'm glad that they love the one they've got close to home, and the one they've got far away (Isaac - we're waiting for your visit!).

busy

Last night, Ross and I were talking before we went to bed. Or, maybe it was at dinner. I really don't remember.

It's been one of those weeks.

One of those weeks where we've been really busy with life and kids and family and work and all our other commitments. One where we've been trying to do our own version of Nanny 911 with one kid and comfort the other because he has a mouthful of molars coming in. One of those weeks where the grown-ups in our house haven't hardly seen each other because there isn't enough time in the day.

One of those weeks when we don't go to bed until 11 because there is stuff to do - except I cannot tell you what any of the stuff we were doing was.

And the weekend?

Just as busy I'm afraid.

At least we get to be busy together. In the same space, the same car, at the same places.

That's something, I guess.

a little bit famous

My talented and creative friend, Erin, invited me to help her out with treats for a bridal shower back in June.

Her party, pictures, and my cupcakes have been featured on the Catch my Party blog.

How cool is that?

The Squirt::: 14 months

Alrighty, kiddo.

What to say? What to say?

What is a mom to say about her 14 month old that loves to scream and laugh and bang his head into the wall for fun?

Not much, I tell ya. Especially when this morning you figured out how to give your hand a swirly. Yes, I said that blog readers. This boy sticks one hand in the toilet and the other flushes. I've already had to break that party up twice today and it hasn't been pretty.

But Chickie - I love you so much. You are so sweet and kind and careful. You try hard to be gentle to sweet little Miss Molly and you love your Uncle Willie so much you might explode.



Your molars are coming in and you're pretty miserable. I'm just glad that the chicken nugget-french fry-strawberry-formula puke landed on your dad last night, not me. I really am so sorry about the mouth little buddy. It's just got to suck.

We're having a grand summer you, your brother and I. We are playing and laughing (and screaming and crying) but it's all in the name of love and fun. You love being outside, are starting to enjoy car rides and the swimming pool, and the other night we drove past the buffalo and elk farm and you just giggled and waved at all the elk - it must have been the coolest thing you've ever seen.



I love that you are becoming more chatty and animated every day. You swim in the bathtub, sing songs to yourself and when we go out to eat, if the restaurant music suit you, you just start grooving out in the high chair. No one can resist that charm, I promise.

Party Favors

My cousin is getting married in one month. On Saturday, my aunt threw a bridal shower for her soon to be daughter-in-law. I volunteered to help with a few things, one of which was the party favors.

The shower had a kitchen/grocery theme so I knew that the favor needed to be food oriented. When my original idea didn't quite pan out, while wandering around cost plus world market I found these great old fashioned sodas and was inspired to use them for the shower favor.



Not being too crafty or creative, I didn't think until later about making a cute label to cover the soda label or anything like that. I did whip up a festive sticker to put over the yummy chocolates that I attached with a ribbon. That was about as creative as I got.



The sodas however were a hit - and I seemed to manage to get a flavor to fit everyone's taste (black cherry, grape, orange, chocolate, cola, key lime, lemon lime and root beer).

It's always fun to do a project - especially one that involves a little bit of sugary goodness.

What did you have for dinner last night?

Him?  He had a plate of watermelon.

a little link love, and some other stuff

First - all of you folks out there using blogger, and downloading massive templates that sort of screw up the whole blogger scene - stop.  There is something new for you, and for me.  Good bye scrap booky cuteness and hello clean lines and good designs.



Blogger has taken it's "DESIGN" feature out of beta and made it available for all. Click on the tab in your dashboard, then pick the template manager option and make some really cool changes to your blog. No more "cutest blog on the block" junk for you! (read with a soup nazi voice). Just use what blogger has to offer - your blog will look better and you'll like the ease of use.

Second - we've hit up the land of infomercials lately with two new products in our home. Pillow Pets and Mangrates.





The Pillow Pets are for the boys. We saw the commercial so many times on Sprout that I caved. They are actually very soft, cuddly and lovable. We have the duck and the frog. I wouldn't be opposed to having one of my own. A lady bug perhaps?

The Mangrates were Ross' father's day present to himself. He "seasoned" them in my oven, stinking up the whole house and those I cannot tell a difference in the meat that has been grilled on the grates, on the BBQ - Ross swears he can.

And, just because I'm trying to change my crafty mom mojo a bit, here are some new links I'm really liking.


AlwaysFits.com

Skip to my Lou

I want this neat map

Nickelodeon Parents Connect

Tokyo Pen Shop

Reading about this bloggers devastating loss and joy - all at the same time